Free and cheap family fun

It's the end of the week and TGIF never felt so good. Here are a few fun events to keep your weekend lively.

Head out tonight to some Book Reading Fun at the Largo Public Library when storytime features Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, which has just been released as 3D animated feature film. Before going to the movie, here the story of how weather comes in the form of food in the town of Chewandswallow. This free event is at 4:30 p.m. Friday at the library, 120 Central Park Drive, Largo. Call (727) 587-6715 for further details.

Speaking of meatballs, get your feedbag on because today through Sunday, Ikea is offering a plateful of their delightful Swedish meatballs for $1. Sharon says these are tasty, tempting and easy to down 20 before you know it. And her kids love them. Now that prices have dropped throughout the store, you won't mind spending a buck on these. The $1 plate includes 10 meatballs, mashed potatoes and cream sauce. Ikea is at 1103 N 22nd St. in Tampa, at the intersection of N 22nd Street and Adamo Drive. I'll see you there.

Get the whole family up and moving for the 5K Family Festival on Saturday at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club, 36750 U.S. 19 N, Palm Harbor. The 5K run/walk will be along the North Course. There will be vendors, inflatables, a mobile game theater and more. Registration is $25, which includes a T-shirt and goodie bag, and begins at 7:30 a.m. The race begins at 9 a.m. and all proceeds benefit the Children's Cancer Center. Call (727) 942-2000.

It's that time again to get your little engineers into their favorite overalls for the Train Show and Open House on Saturday and Sunday at the Minnreg Building, 6340 126 Ave., Largo. The show features more than 100 tables of all scales and memorabillia. It only costs $5 for adults and $1 for kids ages 12-17; kids 11 and younger are free. The show, sponsored by the Suncoast Model Railroad Club, will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Call (727) 523-1860.

Lowry Park Zoo is the place to be to see Dora the Explorer at the Fisher-Price PlaySpace Weekend, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the zoo, 1101 W Sligh Ave., Tampa. Now, you can meet Dora at the PlaySpace on Saturday but her breakfast a tthe zoo is sold out. On sunday, meet Little People Eddie and Sonya Lee. But that's not all to see and do there. There will be a super-sized play area filled with new toys from Fisher-Price. This one is best for kids ages 6 and under but there's plenty for your older kids to do at the zoo. Call (813) 935-8552.

It’s 1905 Day at The Columbia from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday as the celebrated Ybor restaurant commemorates its 104th anniversary. The catch is that it’s not for takeout, so expect some crowds. Enjoy chicken and yellow rice “Ybor” for $2.95, boliche (eye round of beef) for $2.95, Merluza “A la Rusa” for $2.95, Columbia’s Original 1905 Salad for $1.95, sangria for 95 cents, flan for 50 cents, and their American coffee for 5 cents. The offer is good at the Ybor City, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Clearwater Beach and Celebration locations.

They’ve got the swamp in Weeki Wachee, and now Hernando County has the boogie with its first Bluesapalooza blues festival featuring artists Josh Lamkin and Automatic Heat, Shaun Rounds Band, Sarasota Slim with Nitro and more. It runs 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Anderson Snow Park and Sport Complex, 1360 Anderson Snow Road in Spring Hill. It’s $5 per day, 12 and under free. Bring chairs or blankets, but no coolers. Call (352) 754-4031.

If you ask us, we’d take Miley Cyrus’ real-life brother (Trace Cyrus of Metro Station) over her fake best friend (Mitchel Musso, who plays pal Oliver Oken on Hannah Montana) in a street fight. But hey, we’re not 12, so what do we know? The mop-topped Musso will fill the State Theatre with Radio Disney-friendly sing-alongs like the pulsing anthem Speed Dial and Hey, which we’re only slightly ashamed to admit we’re still humming. The show, which opens with Jimmy Robbins and KSM, is at 5 p.m. Sunday at 687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. Tickets are $18-$20. Call (727) 895-3045.

And to get a jump on next week, get ready for Living Things We Love to Hate, a movie night feature for the squeamish at Brooker Creek Preserve at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Slugs, snakes and bats are part of our everyday lives, but many of us still fear them. Well, no duh. But this movie tries to lightheartedly replace o ur revulsion with ecological understanding. Best for ages 8 and older at the preserve, 3940 Keystone Road, Tarpon Springs. Best of all, it's free.

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